In anticipation of the 350th Anniversary of the founding of St. Francis Xavier Parish, Fr. Brian Sanderfoot initiated two historical discovery projects. The first was a thorough survey of the cemetery at Newtowne Neck to map and index the graves. This study was done by Scott Lawrence of Grave Concerns. The report, issued in January 2011, can be viewed here.

The second project was an archeological dig to discover the location of the original chapel. Begun in January 2011 and completed in October of the same year, this investigation was carried out by Scott Lawrence, James Gibb and Peter Quantock of Grave Concerns, a historic cemetery restoration company in Park Hall, MD. A final report with findings, detailed maps and tables, and suggestions for future study can be found here.

In April 2014, Dr. Alexandra Jones and Archeology in the Community (AITC) produced a short video interview with Scott Lawrence talking about the "Dig" at St. Francis Xavier.